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Tunanorth · 11-21-2006, 12:41 PM

Ksong,
I've seen your posts regarding a search for a jigging reel for 150 to 250-plus size tuna.
No doubt a 2-speed is going to be your only choice for such a reel, I certainly don't make the claim that a Torque or any other 1-speed will be suitable for that.
In the setting of the San Diego long-range fleet, a few bigger tuna have been caught on single-speeds intended for wahoo, but a lot of luck was involved.
Having caught numerous bigger tuna standup-style on traditional gear, including "back in the day" when 2-speed reels did not exist, I almost shudder at the thought of returning to the 1-speeds even with the modern engineering advances.
I have a fairly good dialogue going with the Penn engineering dept, and they do keep teasing me with cryptic references to upcoming "surprises", I can only speculate what might be coming.
Possibly different gear ratios or perhaps a stamped/diecast version with a lower price tag like the Trinidad/Torium split.
Also, the upcoming 12VSX and 8VSX will be high-drag 2 speeds with mid gear ratios, could be a viable answer, not sure on weights.
All that said, I believe the high gear ratio versions should have been the first ones out, given that most people want/need it for the majority of their jigging uses.
Having caught tuna to 95 pounds with the TRQ300, I would not recommend it **or any 1-speed** for tuna much past the 140-150 pound range, even though it develops plenty of drag for that use.
For anybody who might be in the San Diego area on Saturday December 2, I will be presenting the "Jig Fishing on 3 to 10 Day Long Range Trips" seminar at Fisherman's Landing at the "Tackle Day" event.
I would be happy to go "in depth" to discuss the new reels, new vs. old style jigs, changing hooks or whatever.

11-21-2006, 12:41 PM	#22 (permalink)
Tunanorth Junior member Join Date: Nov 2006 Posts: 14	Ksong, I've seen your posts regarding a search for a jigging reel for 150 to 250-plus size tuna. No doubt a 2-speed is going to be your only choice for such a reel, I certainly don't make the claim that a Torque or any other 1-speed will be suitable for that. In the setting of the San Diego long-range fleet, a few bigger tuna have been caught on single-speeds intended for wahoo, but a lot of luck was involved. Having caught numerous bigger tuna standup-style on traditional gear, including "back in the day" when 2-speed reels did not exist, I almost shudder at the thought of returning to the 1-speeds even with the modern engineering advances. I have a fairly good dialogue going with the Penn engineering dept, and they do keep teasing me with cryptic references to upcoming "surprises", I can only speculate what might be coming. Possibly different gear ratios or perhaps a stamped/diecast version with a lower price tag like the Trinidad/Torium split. Also, the upcoming 12VSX and 8VSX will be high-drag 2 speeds with mid gear ratios, could be a viable answer, not sure on weights. All that said, I believe the high gear ratio versions should have been the first ones out, given that most people want/need it for the majority of their jigging uses. Having caught tuna to 95 pounds with the TRQ300, I would not recommend it or any 1-speed for tuna much past the 140-150 pound range, even though it develops plenty of drag for that use. For anybody who might be in the San Diego area on Saturday December 2, I will be presenting the "Jig Fishing on 3 to 10 Day Long Range Trips" seminar at Fisherman's Landing at the "Tackle Day" event. I would be happy to go "in depth" to discuss the new reels, new vs. old style jigs, changing hooks or whatever.